The law of independent assortment is one of Mendel’s principles of inheritance. It states that the alleles for different traits segregate, or assort, independently of each other during gamete formation. This means that the inheritance of one trait does not affect the inheritance of another trait.
In a dihybrid cross, two different traits are considered, each controlled by different genes. For example, the genes for seed color and seed shape in pea plants. Each gene has two alleles, with one inherited from each parent. According to the law of independent assortment, the inheritance of the allele for seed color does not influence the inheritance of the allele for seed shape.
Example:
In a dihybrid cross between two heterozygous pea plants (YyRr × YyRr), the offspring can inherit different combinations of alleles for the two traits. The possible gametes from these parents would be:
- YR, Yr, yR, yr
This results in a 9:3:3:1 phenotypic ratio in the F2 generation, where 9 represent plants with both dominant traits, 3 with one dominant and one recessive trait, and so on.
Final Answer:
The law of independent assortment states that genes for different traits assort independently of each other during gamete formation, leading to genetic variation.